American nuns are preparing to meet this week to discuss the future of their ties to the Vatican, on the heels of its accusations of "radical feminist" themes in their work. Back in April, a Vatican-ordered probe slammed the largest U.S. nun group, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, for straying from Catholic orthodoxy and ordered it to bring its programs closer in line with it, particularly by becoming more explicitly opposed to gay marriage and abortion. Where the LCRW, which represents about 80 percent of U.S. nuns, heads now is unclear and could be decided by this week's meeting. The group's president told NPR last month that despite the many options it was mulling, leaving the church wasn't one of them. "Some of the options would be to just comply with the mandate that's been given to us. Or to say we can't comply with this and see what the Vatican does with that. Or to remove ourselves and form a separate organization," she said.
